I would like to dedicate a sweet birthday wish to my "baby" sister Amanda. She celebrated her 32nd birthday yesterday. What a great example she is of someone who knows how to have fun, retain youth, and keep her playful nature! Happy birthday little sister (spoken in my best Rooster Cogburn/ John Wayne impersonation). I love you very much.
With all my heart...
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
What's Up...
Not a whole lot going on out here in New York. Primarily, life has been more about maintenance and steadiness rather than anything else. In my spare time of course I read quite a bit. Most of my writing has been on a more personal level for my own purposes of self discovery. More precisely, this would be re-discovery, as I have been working through emotions and life habits and evaluating why I do certain things, when I do them. Anyways, I'm only on the beginning exercises, working through childhood experiences and family life. In this alone, I have already written well over eight pages and feel I have only skimmed the surface. There are several more topics to go, and no, I will not post these to my site as they are too personal.
Other things I am reading are related to writing, specifically with regards to style, grammar, and just some sweet tips. I really do enjoy writing and also editing. It's one thing to write to a blog from the top of one's head, and quite another to write and refine, write and refine, constantly tweaking until finally happy with the final product. Were I to write like this at my blog all the time then I would update it with even less frequency than already I do.
As for other areas of my life, it's finally becoming spring and I am endeavoring to up my game to get outside more. I have to really fight for my time outdoors, as I can get too caught up in duties that I can neglect my own personal needs and simple pleasures. As a result, I have found myself with less joy than usual. I know it is God's will that I enjoy my life, but oh, how difficult I find it to let myself have fun when I know other things are vying for time and energy. It often takes a concerted effort to play when there's work to be done, and by then I find myself too burned out to have fun. Anyone else ever get like this? I think I need a little vacation, but then I think, how I need to get these nagging things done so I could actually enjoy some time de-stressing.
One thing I am trying to do more of is incorporate activity into life that sort of kills two birds (working out and having fun) with one proverbial stone. I recently ordered some exercise videos that are dance themed. Granted, I'm not all that coordinated when it comes to dance or aerobics, freestyle is more my thing, but I'm having some fun, though I feel like a dork at times with how foreign some of the new moves are. I got two Samba dance videos, the Island Girl series for both Hula dance and Tahitian dance, as well as Zumba. I've enjoyed the Island Girls videos the best thus far. The lessons are easier to learn and the moves are simpler and more graceful, yet they are not as easy as they look. I like how Kili (the instructor) builds one move at a time and then builds from there in small routines. Finally, she puts the different routines together. The moves are authentic dance steps to boot!
There really hasn't been all that much excitement around here. Life lately has been about remaining steadfast. While I might like to see some changes occur, I just don't have the energy after a full day's work and the other daily things that arise, to take on extra challenges. I suppose if I had the energy to take on some of these, the following would be getting done: my teaching that I will present in May for a statewide ministry function, my basement getting organized and de-cluttered so I can actually find things that I haven't been able to locate since the move, and putting in a flower garden as well as some herbs. But honestly, the homestead is probably the one thing that has me double minded...I don't really like this rental. I never would have picked this place, but we've managed to make it work somehow. So trying to unpack too much or put in a garden sort of seem like a major commitment to actually living here longer, which I don't know that I want to do. Yet on the other hand, to move again seems overwhelming too.
Perhaps putting more effort into making this place more to my liking would be the best... the rent's great for this area (though most of you would choke if I told you what we pay), the utilities are included, there's actually off-street parking (a near miracle in these parts) and we have a great landlord (willing to hire David for work as well as to give him paid training contruction this summer), albeit, there is just one bathroom and a lot of "jimmy rigged" maintenance that makes this single dwelling into two family dwellings (something commonly done around here). I don't have to make a decision today obviously - waiting until David finishes High School and decides more of his plans may be a big factor. I guess I will stay put until I have more to go on...
I know contentment should be more prevalent, that I should count my blessings... and perhaps this is why my energy seems depleted. Any suggestions (especially biblically based ones) are most welcome!
Other things I am reading are related to writing, specifically with regards to style, grammar, and just some sweet tips. I really do enjoy writing and also editing. It's one thing to write to a blog from the top of one's head, and quite another to write and refine, write and refine, constantly tweaking until finally happy with the final product. Were I to write like this at my blog all the time then I would update it with even less frequency than already I do.
As for other areas of my life, it's finally becoming spring and I am endeavoring to up my game to get outside more. I have to really fight for my time outdoors, as I can get too caught up in duties that I can neglect my own personal needs and simple pleasures. As a result, I have found myself with less joy than usual. I know it is God's will that I enjoy my life, but oh, how difficult I find it to let myself have fun when I know other things are vying for time and energy. It often takes a concerted effort to play when there's work to be done, and by then I find myself too burned out to have fun. Anyone else ever get like this? I think I need a little vacation, but then I think, how I need to get these nagging things done so I could actually enjoy some time de-stressing.
One thing I am trying to do more of is incorporate activity into life that sort of kills two birds (working out and having fun) with one proverbial stone. I recently ordered some exercise videos that are dance themed. Granted, I'm not all that coordinated when it comes to dance or aerobics, freestyle is more my thing, but I'm having some fun, though I feel like a dork at times with how foreign some of the new moves are. I got two Samba dance videos, the Island Girl series for both Hula dance and Tahitian dance, as well as Zumba. I've enjoyed the Island Girls videos the best thus far. The lessons are easier to learn and the moves are simpler and more graceful, yet they are not as easy as they look. I like how Kili (the instructor) builds one move at a time and then builds from there in small routines. Finally, she puts the different routines together. The moves are authentic dance steps to boot!
There really hasn't been all that much excitement around here. Life lately has been about remaining steadfast. While I might like to see some changes occur, I just don't have the energy after a full day's work and the other daily things that arise, to take on extra challenges. I suppose if I had the energy to take on some of these, the following would be getting done: my teaching that I will present in May for a statewide ministry function, my basement getting organized and de-cluttered so I can actually find things that I haven't been able to locate since the move, and putting in a flower garden as well as some herbs. But honestly, the homestead is probably the one thing that has me double minded...I don't really like this rental. I never would have picked this place, but we've managed to make it work somehow. So trying to unpack too much or put in a garden sort of seem like a major commitment to actually living here longer, which I don't know that I want to do. Yet on the other hand, to move again seems overwhelming too.
Perhaps putting more effort into making this place more to my liking would be the best... the rent's great for this area (though most of you would choke if I told you what we pay), the utilities are included, there's actually off-street parking (a near miracle in these parts) and we have a great landlord (willing to hire David for work as well as to give him paid training contruction this summer), albeit, there is just one bathroom and a lot of "jimmy rigged" maintenance that makes this single dwelling into two family dwellings (something commonly done around here). I don't have to make a decision today obviously - waiting until David finishes High School and decides more of his plans may be a big factor. I guess I will stay put until I have more to go on...
I know contentment should be more prevalent, that I should count my blessings... and perhaps this is why my energy seems depleted. Any suggestions (especially biblically based ones) are most welcome!
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